Izushi Sara-Soba: Castle-Town Soba Served on Small Plates

Izushi sara-soba is a specialty of the Izushi area of Toyooka in Hyogo, in which soba is served on small white porcelain plates and stacked up as you eat. Five plates make one portion, and by varying the broth poured from a tokkuri flask and the condiments little by little, you can enjoy it to the last without tiring. Together with the castle-town streetscape of Izushi, it is a regional taste that draws many visitors.

Highlights

The charm of Izushi sara-soba is enjoying the shifts in flavor as you change condiments. Beginning with scallion and wasabi, then adding grated yam or raw egg, the soba grows mellow as if it were another dish entirely. Many shops insist on the three freshnesses of freshly milled, freshly cut, and freshly boiled, letting you savor the fragrant, true taste of soba. The beautiful white Izushi porcelain pleases the eye as well.

Enjoying the Seasons

Soba is most fragrant in autumn, when the new-harvest crop appears. A plate enjoyed in this season of bounty is exceptional. In winter, pausing for a comforting cup of warm soba-yu while touring the snow-dusted castle town is a fine pleasure. In spring and summer, you can enjoy smooth, refreshing soba while strolling streets wrapped in vivid green.

Access and Basic Information

Izushi is conveniently reached by car from central Toyooka, well located for access from the Kinosaki Onsen and Toyooka Station areas. More than forty soba shops line the streets in town, making comparison tasting fun. You can order from a few plates at a time, with five plates as the guide for one portion. The town symbol, the Shinkoro clock tower, is known as one of Japans oldest clock towers and, along with the Izushi castle ruins, is a highlight of a castle-town walk.

Practical Travel Notes

To enjoy the fragrance of new-crop soba, the harvest season of autumn is the best time. The town is compactly laid out around the Shinkoro tower, making it easy to hop among several soba shops on foot. Budget-wise, a five-plate portion runs around a thousand yen, and you can savor it slowly while ordering extra plates. As a rough guide, a portion is often said to be about 20 plates for an adult man and 15 for a woman, and challenging the plate count is one of the pleasures of the trip. A circular Tajima itinerary such as staying at Kinosaki Onsen and heading out to Izushi by day for a castle-town walk and soba is also recommended.

A Quick Tip

Locals say a portion is about 20 plates for a man and 15 for a woman. Some shops record your plate count as a soba-lovers badge, so why not give it a try.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Origins: It is said to date back to Hoei 3 (1706), when the Sengoku clan, transferred from the Ueda domain in Shinshu to the Izushi domain, brought soba craftsmen with them.
• How much to order: A set of five plates makes one serving. Anyone who stacks the small plates as high as a chopstick standing on end (about 15 plates) is considered a soba connoisseur.
• Soba-tour pouch set: 2,000 yen per set (excluding tax). Three Eiraku-tsuho coins let you visit three restaurants, with each coin worth one serving of 3 plates. It is valid for 3 months from the date of purchase.
• Tourist base: Izushi Tourist Center (104-7 Uchimachi, Izushi-cho, Toyooka City / tel. 0796-52-6045). Open 9:00-17:00, open all year.
• Access: About 30 minutes by Zentan Bus from JR Toyooka Station. By car it is about 30 minutes from the Wadayama IC on the Bantan Renraku Road and about 50 minutes from the Fukuchiyama IC on the Maizuru Expressway. The Otemae paid parking lot (58 Uchimachi, Izushi-cho, 70 spaces, 9:00-17:00) costs 500 yen for a passenger car and 250 yen for a motorcycle.

Note: Opening hours and prices differ from restaurant to restaurant.

(Sources: DAYTRIP Izushi (Izushi Machizukuri Kosha Co., Ltd.) official website \"Izushi Soba,\" \"Izushi Tourist Center\" and \"Parking Guide, Area Map and Access\")

Sources of Information

This article is compiled from tourism information for Toyooka City and Hyogo Prefecture and from information published by the individual restaurants. Prices and menus differ by restaurant and may change, so please check the official information of each restaurant for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: From around a thousand yen for one serving (about 5 plates)
• Where to eat it: Sara-soba specialty restaurants in Izushi-cho, Toyooka City
• Recommended time of day: Mainly lunchtime
• Avoiding the crowds: Lunchtime is busy at weekends and in the tourist season. Shift your timing
• Enjoy it together with: A stroll around the Izushi castle town, the Shinkoro clock tower and Izushi ware